With two much-needed wins added, the Guangzhou Charge shot up the standings into a solid fifth place this past week. They’re currently in the running for Stage 1 Playoffs, but with five other teams sharing the same current record of 3-2, they’ll need to get whatever victories they can in the next two weeks to stay in contention. With only one game this week against a struggling LA Gladiators, taking this win is vital to achieving this goal.
The Mayhem looked much stronger than anticipated in this game against the Charge, and even took it to a map 5. The Mayhem’s subbing in of Caleb “McGravy” McGarvey, who was signed less than a week prior, put up an unexpected roadblock for the Charge. Additionally, the Mayhem’s affinity for payload maps, the Charge’s weak point, made things more difficult. Yet the Charge pulled through and in the fifth map took the decisive victory.
While it may seem like an obvious choice at this point, Jin-seo “Shu” Kim played a fantastic game the whole way through. He even scored the play of the day from the desk’s point of view. His fantastic Ana play is quickly becoming known and feared throughout the entire league.
Our very own @shu_overwatch had the top play of the night last night and was the player of the match! Even the #OWL2019 staff was all aboard the Shu Shu Train! pic.twitter.com/NKrgRdFEse
— Guangzhou Charge (@GZCharge) March 1, 2019
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Coming out of the gate strong, the Charge tore into the Valiant’s defenses and had already won the series by the assault map. These first three maps went strongly in the way of Guangzhou, who showed off their aggressive offensive capabilities. They were ultimately denied the full sweep due to a loss on Rialto, but the Charge still played strong all game and began their first winning streak.
Guangzhou’s playmaker in this matchup had to be the flex tank Hong-Jun “Hotba” Choi. As D.Va he ate three gravs on the first map alone, and showed off his versatile Sombra play on King’s Row, proving his excellent skill at being a flex player.
Looking for @HOTBA_OW? 👀 #OWL2019https://t.co/U6dIipgQGs pic.twitter.com/pEAbSSdk8d
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 4, 2019
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Image Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Like their sister team, the current Los Angeles Gladiators squad is a far reach from the team that placed first in Stage 4 of the Inaugural Season. The Gladiators don’t appear comfortable in a tank and support meta and Aaron “Bischu” Kimis appears to still be out. Considering the Charge now have momentum from a winning streak, and they only need to focus on one opponent this week while the Gladiators have two, this should be an easy victory for Guangzhou.
Prediction: Guangzhou 4 – LA Gladiators 0
Image Courtesy of @GZCharge on Twitter
Definitely keep an eye out for Oh “Rio” Seung-pyo in the Charge’s matchup this week. The Gladiators’ main tank, Chang-hoon “rOar” Gye, is known for his aggression but has been easily punished because of it. If Rio can hold up the defensive line and pick his battles wisely, then the whole team should be able to capitalize on the opportunities they gain from it. The main tank is crucial in this meta, so Rio needs to outlast Roar in order to hold the defense.
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